I was incredibly excited about the release of Fortnite: Last Resort. It promised a thrilling heist theme, a plethora of unvaulted Mythic weapons from the battle royale’s past, and an absolutely fire Battle Pass full of cool skins.
Two weeks in, it’s safe to say that, in many ways, Last Resort has delivered. My apologies to Chapter Four Season Three, but taking part in heist missions is far cooler than sliding around the mud in the jungle. Three huge points of interest (POIs) - Sanguine Suite, Eclipsed Estate, and Relentless Retreat - have been added to the map, each of which is home to an underground vault packed with chests, and, more importantly, home to a selection of those aforementioned, exceedingly rare Mythic items (of which you can only choose one per vault). These are only accessible if you can blast past the tight security - guards must be eliminated, laser alarms and CCTV cameras must be evaded (or destroyed), and key cards must be stolen.
It’s a thrilling idea - in theory. A lot of effort is required to break into one of these things: there are numerous NPC guards and obstacles to overcome, and even if that weren’t the case, the POIs are so popular at the moment that it’s pretty much impossible to land at one without being joined by a bunch of enemy players. And they will find you; the ruckus caused by the waves of NPCs firing wildly at you on sight can and will alert anyone to your whereabouts. So, you seriously have to be ready for a shootout if you dare to be tempted by the thought of Mythic weapons such as Midas’ Drum Gun or The Foundation’s MK-Seven Assault Rifle. But hey, that’s a valid tradeoff for an ultra-powerful weapon, right? At the end of the day, you know what you’re getting into when you step foot into a new season’s fresh locations.
Too much of a good thing
So, what’s the problem? Well, the heist action isn’t limited to those three spots: there are three additional vaults dotted around the island - in Slappy Shores, Rumble Ruins, and Mega City - meaning your chances of accidentally engaging in frantic battles and being ambushed by aggressive NPCs are actually double. This wouldn’t be so bad if these vaults contained anything worthwhile - while there are some chests to crack open, there’s no guarantee that these will house any Legendary weapons. And there’s no Slurp Juice to sweeten the deal, either. So far, my experience with them has proven to be a waste of time, shields, and health.
On top of that, six Forecast Towers are strewn about the map. These are guarded by - you guessed it - even more hostile NPCs who will attack as soon as they perceive you, as though you’ve just insulted everything they stand for. At the very least, the boss foe here does drop Slurp Juice, and the ability to see future storm circles for the rest of the game is a huge boon. However, it ultimately contributes to a feeling that seemingly wherever you go on the map this season, you can’t escape running into fights with packs of non-human enemies.
Thankfully, aside from the bosses, these guys do go down easily, so on their own, they’re probably not going to cause anyone to lose any Crowns. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for nearby players who happen to overhear the chaos and make a beeline for it. It seems ironic that in a season where the entire theme centers around sneaking through buildings and grabbing treasures from within, I’ve never felt more visible when simply trying to get around the map.
As a result, there are so many areas that I’m now choosing to actively avoid. It’s simply more hassle than it’s worth to fight off foes that won’t reward me with anything exciting, while simultaneously drawing in all the real human enemies in a 50-mile radius - all because the NPCs won’t stop shooting and yelling at me. There’s nothing worse than accidentally walking into an occupied zone when you’re low on health, and realizing that the match may swiftly come to an end because a random enemy you didn’t even want to fight decided it was a good time to kick up a fuss. A new season shouldn’t discourage me from charging around the island, it should do the opposite.
Ultimately, the heist theme is a lot of fun, but it’s being ruined by how much it’s being duplicated across the map. It’s reached a point of oversaturation. Sadly, Last Resort has bitten off more than it can chew.
If you’re looking to play something similar to Fortnite, check out our recommendations for the best battle royale games and the best free games.
